Our second day in Romania was long and exhausting. The group walked to the children’s hospital in Bucharest for 10am with expectations of staying ‘til 8pm. We were going to work in the section of the hospital that housed young, abandoned children. These children – all under the age of two – were born in the hospital, but left their by mothers who, for various reasons, could not take care of them. This section of the hospital features a program sponsored by RCR that allows nurses and volunteers to play with and care for the babies each day.
The second floor of the hospital houses these children. Off of a white, tile hallway are five rooms, each containing 6 or more cribs. The walls have large stickers of animals and cartoon characters, brightening the sad scene. The children are divided by age and spend most of the day - about 15+ hours – in their cribs; the only exception to this being during the RCR program, when the babies are taken up to a small, carpeted playroom to interact and play. However, out of the 30+ children in this section of the hospital, only about 10 children have the privilege of doing this each day. First, the doctor must give them permission; this depends on their health. There has to be a sufficient amount of nurses and volunteers to look after the children in the playroom, and the babies need to be around the same age.
Thursday was hot and humid in the small playroom with only two windows open to circulate the air, but it didn’t seem to bother the group. When we arrived, smocks were handed out to put on over our other clothes and we needed to change into shoes that hadn’t been worn outside and our hands were washed – doing everything we could not to bring our germs into the play area. As we settled in, nurses brought in babies one by one, handing them to us as they went to get more. Seeing their faces light up as they entered the room was unforgettable. Their eyes widened and their lips turned up in a smile.
The babies outnumbered our volunteer group - nurses included! With 8 of us and at least 10 babies, our hands were always full. Toys were dumped on the floor and were soon in the children’s mouths, followed by yogurt, which was a rare treat. Warm bottles of milk were brought in around 11am and each of the volunteers was handed a bib and a bottle corresponding to the child they were working with. For my 13-year-old brother feeding the babies was an unfamiliar task, but even he managed to progress from spoon-feeding yogurt to bottle-feeding warm milk.
We played with and each grew close to a few of the babies in the room. Child M*, one I enjoyed playing with and holding, had a disorder called muscular dystrophy, and had poor control of his muscles. Although he was able to move his head freely, it was heavy and difficult to support, and M was unable to stand, or even support his body on his feet. Child M received constant stimulation from staff members throughout the day, made possible through the Romanian Children’s Relief. Child M needs extra care and attention, and thanks to RCR, he is able to receive this care and muscle therapy.
Of the children in the playroom, only a few could walk – one of them being Child B*. B was very interactive with volunteers and other children. I noticed this and picked her up, eager to hold her. She would point and I would respond by moving to wherever she indicated. One of the first places we ventured was the window. Light was streaming in and she seemed intrigued, but when we got closer I noticed her begin to squirm and wriggle out of my arms. She was lunging towards the window sill when I noticed that the children we were working with had never been outside.
Another child I will mention, Child S*, suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and as a result, has anencephaly. Her head is larger than her body, but her skull is not fully formed, leaving a soft spot of tissue near her forehead with no protecting bone beneath.
The program RCR has put in place is truly a gift. Without it, these children would be stuck in their cribs for almost 24 hours a day with no stimulation and barely any love. However, the program has many regular volunteers that come from 10-1 or 3-5 to take the babies to the playroom, feed them, play with them, make them smile, give them attention and love. It is so much fun you can hardly call it work, but it makes a world of difference for the children.
Each member of the group had a different experience as we each bonded with different children. Some fell asleep as we rocked them, others would follow us around the play area after you put them down, some would just smile as you held them, but each child was bathed in love and care as we spent hour after hour in the hospital that day. I experienced a feeling of love I never had before. I realized how simply interacting with a baby, caring for them, can make you feel connected and loved. This was something I had never fully understood. I never realized how simple interaction and attention can create such a strong feeling of love. After spending just a few hours with the babies, I now can relate.
It was no doubt an exhausting day, emotionally and physically, but we headed to ‘Kaufland’ to finish off our work for the day. With money that we had raised before the trip, the group bought diapers, soap, wet wipes, snacks and toys for the babies. Walking back to the hospital with hands full with bags and supplies, it was obvious the group was tired, and when we returned to the nursery, we settled down on the carpet for some down time. During this time, I picked up a book detailing the founding of RCR. What caught my eye was the section describing one of the factors in the high rate of abandoned children. The reason is quite simple: the gypsies, often referred to as the Roma people, don’t have much money and so, the parents leave for other countries looking for jobs, leaving children behind because they are unable to support even themselves.
After a short rest, a few older children were brought back to the playroom. Their red, puffy eyes indicated they had been crying in their cribs, before being brought over to try out the new toys. They took to the drum immediately and beat it incessantly – it was a hit!
Although it was 8pm, our long and demanding day was far from over! The group was in for a whole new adventure on the night train to Bistrita! Rushing to the train station the group barely had time to grab snacks for the overnight ride. After climbing aboard – literally climbing – Sammy and I threw our luggage down in our cozy room and went to the dinner picnic in the hallway. Although it was a squeeze, everyone made it to the pretzel and chips banquet in time to see the red sun set over the horizon as we passed through the Romanian countryside, heading for Bistrita and more eye-opening experiences.
* Names have not been used in the best interest of the children.
* Names have not been used in the best interest of the children.
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